Trolley bridge



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.:

JFSTEPHENSONQ TROLLEY BRIDGE.

No. 424,374. P 44 444 Mar. 25, 1890.

N, Pn'zas. PhnhrLithampher, Wnhington. a, c

' (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

J. STEPHENSON.

TROLLEY BRIDGE Patented Mar. 25-, 1890..

u, PETERS. Fllcio-Lflhcgraphur, Washingtcn. n. c.

(No Model.) 3 SheetsSheet 3 J. STEPHENSON.

TROLLEY BRIDGE.

Patented Mar. 25, 1890.

34 M ell/WW N4 PETERS, PhnwLhhcgnpher. Waihinzton, D, C.

. UNITED STATES PATENT price..

J OIIN STEPHENSONQOF NEYV YORK, N. Y.

TROLLEY-BRIDGE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 424,374, dated March25, 1890. Application filed F br ary 4, 1890- Serial No. 339,145. (Nomodel.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN STEPHENSON, a

citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county andState of New York,

has commanded a new class of mechanical devices embodying the connectionof the carpropelling mechanism with an overhead electric conductor bymeans of a trolley at the end of an arm jointed to a base or supportwhich is located centrally upon and fastened to the car-roof.

sengers from wind and storms, and the practice of fasteningtrolley-supports to the roofs has resulted in the rapid destruction orin-- jury of the latter. Further, the roof, owing to its lightconstruction and to its being supported only at the edges, is easily putin vibration by the movements of the trolley, producing a drumming or 11unnning sound,which is disagreeable to the passengers, while themovements affect the fastenings of the trolley-support and chafe theroof-covering, causing decay and leaks.

Myimprovement consists in supporting the parts connected with thetrolley by a bridge, which consists of a plank, frame, or othersupporting structure placed above contact with the car-roof, and whichis supported by the end or side walls of the oar-body, accordingly as itis of greater or less length, as fully set forth hereinafter, and asillustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a sideelevation of the upper portion of a tram-carembodyin g my improvement.Fig. 2 is an end elevation of Fig. 1 in part section. Fig. 3 is adetached view showing the bridge-post and support. Fig. 4 is a side viewof the upper part of a car, showing the bridge supported from the sidewalls. Fig. 5 is an end view of Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a detached viewshowing the rafters and roofsupports of the construction illustrated inFigs.4 and 5. Fig. 7 is an enlarged detached view showing one of therafters, bridge-post, and connections. Fig. 8 is the view of the top ofa car in part section, illustrating an other form of bridge-support.Fig. 9 is an end view of Fig.8. Fig. 10 is a detached view showing theconnection between one of the roof-battens and the side top rail. Fig.11 is a side view of Fig. 10. Fig. 12 is a side View illustratinganother form of support. Fig. 13 is an end view of Fig. 12.

Of the various methods of constructing the trolley-bridge I preferthatin which the end walls A of the car-body shall support the bridge,which, as shown,isa plank B, without any intervening contact of theplank with any part of the car structure. Suchastructure is illustratedin Figs. 1 and 2, in which is shown'as placed across the crown of thearch of each end wall a metal arch or base plate 0, with its endextending each way sufficiently to secure a good bearing for the plateon the end top rails s of the car-body. The metal arch-plate thussecured to the body has connected to its upper surface shorter post baseplates 1, each with a standing post 2, which extend through openings inthe end of the bridge-plank B, and between each end of the plank andeach plate 1 is placed a spring 3, which surrounds the post, on whichsprings rests the bridge-plank, and on each post above the plank isplaced another spring 4, which is held in place by a nut 5 screwing ontothe end of the post. At any suitable point upon the bridge-plank issecured the base J, to which is jointed the lower socket-piece D,supporting the rod 6, that is connected with the trolley. Thisconstruction not only secures the best security to the bridge, but alsosecures a base of the requisite strength to support the parts connectedwith the trolley, while the bridge and the supporting-springs absorb thevibrations, and the connection of the same to the walls of the carprevents the vibration from being impart-ed to the roof and relieves thecar from the noise and motion of the trolley.

Where it is desirable to shorten the bridge, the latter is supportedfrom the side walls, as illustrated in Figs. 4 to 10. Thus the bridgemay be shortened by adding for each end of the bridge-support B abridge-rafter 7, bearing on the roof-boards, with its ends secured tothe top rails 8 of the side walls of the carbody, as shown in Figs. 4,5, 6, and 7. In this construction there is upon the upper surface of theroof a cross rafter 9 of such construction as may be suitable forcarrying the ends of the shortened bridge-plate and supportingbridge-posts 2 and springs 3 at, whereby the plank is connected to thecar, but free from contact with the roof except at such end supports.The ends of the bridge-rafters 7 may be secured to the side top rails byframing into the latter, as usual,or by knee-plates 12, as shown inFigs. 5 and 6'.

In the construction illustrated in Figs. 8 to 11 there are at properdistance apart, according to the length of the bridge B, two roofbattens13, of wood, outside the car-roof, but conforming to its shape, eachplaced above a rafter 14, with the roof-boards and cottonduckintervening between the battens and the roof-rafter, the whole securedtogether by bolts 15, forming a stiff arch, with its ends secured to thetop rails 8 of a car-bod y. Above the battens are bridge-blocks 16, ofproper shape to support the base-plates of the bridgeposts 2, upon whichare the springs 3 4:,holdin g the ends of the bridge, as beforedescribed.

In the construction illustrated in Figs. 12 and 13 there are desirablylocated outside and above contact with the roof, except over the sidewalls, two arched bars 17, of metal or wood, with their ends lodged inholders 18 of suitable form, the holders being secured above and to theside top rails 8 of a carbody. Each arclrbar may have on its crown abearing 19, with fixtures suitable forholding the bridge, as beforedescribed, or in any other suitable manner.

Without limiting myself to the precise construction and arrangement ofparts shown, I claim- 1. A car with a trolley-bridge over the crown ofthe roof, supported directly or indirectly by the walls of the car-body,and the bridge elevated sufficiently to be free from contact with thecar-roof, substantially as described.

.2. A car with a trolley-bridge above and out of contact with thecar-roof and supported by the end walls of the car-roof and fastened tothe end top rails thereof, substantially as described.

3. A car With trolley-bridge supported on the car end walls by metalplates secured to the end top rails of the car-body, the plates havingvertical posts to receive the ends of the trolley-bridge and supportingthe same sufficiently high to prevent it from contacting with thecar-roof, substantially as described.

at. A car with the ends of the trolley-bridge plank on posts secured tothe end walls of the car-body, the posts having on them springs on whichthe bridge rests free from contact with the car-roof, substantially asdescribed.

- 5. A car with the ends of the trolley-bridge plank on posts secured tothe end walls of the car body, the posts having on them springs on whichthe bridge ends rest, and above the ends springs intervening between thebridge and compressing-nuts on the postheads, substantially asdescribed.

6. A car with a trolley-bridge supported by arches or structurestransverse to the carbody, having the ends of the arches secured to theside walls of the car and the bridgeplank free from contact with thecar-roof, substantially as described.

7. A car with a roof having rafters of special strength supporting andreceiving the fastenings of cross rafters or battens above the car andcarrying a trolley-bridge without the same contacting with the car,substan: tially as described.

8. A car with arch-bars supporting a bridge and extending above and freefrom contact with the car-roof, except that the ends of the bars aresecured to proper fastenings to the side top rails of the car-body,neither bars nor bridge contacting with the car-roof, except at the endholders of the bars, substantially as described.

9. An electric-motor car with a trolleybridge consisting of a plankabove its roof,

with the ends of the plank on posts, having springs intervening betweenthe plank and the car-roof, substantially as described.

10. An electric-motor car provided with a trolley-bridge and havingsprings above and below the bridge, substantially as described. 5

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN STEPHENSON.

WVitnesses:

WM. J. WALKER, S. A. STEPHENSON.

